


come into my mind

by haetnimie



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Soulmates, also love supportive dad seungcheol, i love sticking chan everywhere for some reason, lapslock, t for some cursing but it's mild, that soonhoon line in getting closer? felt that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 15:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17102894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haetnimie/pseuds/haetnimie
Summary: they say that whatever song’s stuck in your head is the song your soulmate is listening to right now.for jihoon, it was the same one every sunday morning.





	come into my mind

they say that whatever song’s stuck in your head is the song your soulmate is listening to right now.

for jihoon, it was the same one every sunday morning.

“hyung, are you okay? you look like you have to take a shit.”

“it’s that damn song again.”

chan laughs, and jihoon shoots him a glare, one that said ‘why did i even bother to tell you anything?’ for weeks now, it seems that _that song_ , appropriately named ‘sunday morning’, would become stuck in his head on the aforementioned day. _‘sunday morning, rain is falling’_ — there’s no fucking rain, not in the summer. why the hell was his soulmate listening to the same song diligently on the same day?

jihoon pouts as he wipes the counters of their work space, the sun barely peeking into the windows of the bakery he and chan were diligently preparing to open up. jihoon is nothing of a morning person, but the manager and boss just _loves_ to put jihoon’s shifts on the weekends in the mornings. that’s what happens when that same manager just happens to be your friend since middle school, and jihoon would silently curse choi seungcheol’s name as he unlocks to door for him and chan, his junior, when they had to come by at 7am.

“you had 8ams when we were in college, didn’t you?” seungcheol would say when he tries to justify jihoon’s shifts. “you wouldn’t be doing anything right now if you didn’t have this shift, either. probably sleeping. come on, jihoon! there’s a lot more to life than you realize!”

sure he had 8am classes, but that doesn’t mean he _liked_ them, and that doesn’t mean he exactly _went_ to them, either. and he still graduated, didn’t he? it happened this spring, actually, a year after seungcheol had finished school. he had his bakery set up by the time jihoon finished college, and knowing that jihoon needed a job for the meantime, he offered him a position working in the store.

jihoon wanted to be a music teacher. he studied for that for years. finding an opening, however…it was a bit difficult in seoul.

_‘that may be all i need.’_

“ugh, seriously…” jihoon put his head in his hands, groaning. “choi seungcheol, i hate sunday mornings.”

“okay, but you still have to work,” chan says, throwing jihoon’s apron over to him. “hurry up, hyung! it’s almost time to open.”

seungcheol’s bakery — ‘healing bakery’, as it’s called from the sign outside — was tucked not too far away from the busy streets, and it got a fair amount of traction. as expected of seungcheol who’d studied business and excelled in it. the stuff they made wasn’t too bad, either, but it god forbid jihoon say that he actually makes the baked goods. seokmin, wonwoo, mingyu, and jun — they could bake just about anything. they were incredible.

usually one or two of them were there by the time the people working behind the counter arrive. this morning it was seokmin and mingyu. seokmin smiles at both chan and jihoon when he exits the kitchen along with mingyu, practically out-brightening the sun with his expression.

“happy sunday morning! let’s get this bread!” he says, and jihoon sighs, practically wanting to bang his head against the wall.

“hyung, is that song still seriously stuck in your head?” mingyu asks with a tilt of his head.

“unfortunately. anyway, i’m going to open up now. it’s nine.” jihoon shrugs, fumbling with the keys and going over to the door. he unlocks it, opening it up and practically dying when the rays of sun wash over him. he quickly places the sign saying they were open (from 9am to 6pm, how fun) outside before rushing back in, rubbing his temples as the song continues to play in his head.

they have a regular costumer that likes to come early for some reason, and jihoon makes him look somewhat awake when that particular person walks in.

the customer is a slightly taller man, sometimes coming in with disheveled black hair. despite it being the morning, he usually had a smile on his face, his cheeks puffing out in the most endearing way possible as he did so. his eyes looked like they were the 10-hour and 10-minute marks on a clock, and jihoon had only remembered that because this customer had told him once in passing.

this customer — soonyoung, as the bakery staff’s come to know him — comes in this sunday morning ( _‘rain is falling and i’m calling out to you’_ — ugh, stop that), strolling up to the counter and giving jihoon his signature gummy smile as he pulls the earbuds.

“the usual?” jihoon says, already punching the buttons on the screen of the register. a croissant and some tea, for here, please. jihoon had wiped the tables before opening, and soonyoung would usually take the spot right across the counter, sipping on his beverage as he read a book he’d bring along with him. that’s all he knew about this customer, even if he’s been coming for weeks.

“yeah, but i’d like to add something else to that.” soonyoung replies, fidgeting with the book in his hands. it looked like a romance novel.

jihoon raises an eyebrow at him.

“a date.”

…what?

“a — sorry, what? what did you just say?” the song had stopped numbing jihoon head for a bit now, it seems, but that lovely melody seemed to seep into the situation he was in. what kind of cliche was this?

“yes! he says yes!” chan says from behind, grabbing jihoon’s shoulders and shaking him from his silence. “oh my god, hyung, someone’s asking you out! this is amazing! i never thought it would happen!”

“wait, wait, wait, what are you doing, huh?!” jihoon turns around to chan, his eyes practically burning holes into the younger one.

“i’ll get the tea!” chan exclaims, practically running into the kitchen. probably going to tell seokmin and mingyu and seungcheol when he comes by later on. great. just great.

his face is hot. he’s flustered, and he presses his hands to his cheeks, trying to cool them down. he probably looks like one of those red velvet cupcakes in the display case right now. why was he like this?

the song isn’t in his head right now, but he had a whole new headache to deal with.

“…it’s okay if you say no,” soonyoung says, laughing a bit. was he embarrassed, too? he sounded like it. he wasn’t good in covering it up. “i just sprung the question on you, too. sorry, i didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”

his heart was racing a bit. what the fuck?

“uh…” he didn’t know what to _say_. he’d definitely noticed soonyoung before, but in the way an employee notices a regular. he read books in the bakery for an hour or so before leaving, and that was as much interaction as they’d get. there usually wasn’t a lot of people around this time, and so jihoon can’t help but notice soonyoung being the only customer _there_ , but that was all of it…right?

“your tea,” chan pipes up, sliding it over with a bag. probably got the croissant, too. he can hear seokmin and mingyu snickering from the kitchen when chan had swung the door to it open, and now the back of jihoon’s neck was warm.

“thank you.” soonyoung’s voice gets a little quieter, and he slides a bill towards jihoon. “um.”

the song. maybe he can figure this out.

“i’ll go on a date with you,” jihoon finally says, and it practically kills him in embarrassment to say it. a date. he’s agreed to go on a _date_ — with this guy no less, not that he’s undesirable or anything. he didn’t mind soonyoung. maybe he found him a little cute. “why not.”

“seriously? _seriously_?” soonyoung’s eyes light up, and chan almost drops the plate he had in his hand. “oh my god, thank you! thank you, thank you, thank you! uh, lemme…”

he takes a pen nearby and scribbles his phone number on a napkin. he gives it to jihoon, and the smile he has might contest seokmin’s. “h — here! call me anytime! i’m looking forward to our date!”

* * *

between sleeping, gaming, music, and work, as well as soonyoung’s own schedule, jihoon figures that the most convenient time for this ‘date’ at the moment is next sunday morning when practically no one’s around. that, and when seungcheol had told him what happened, he practically booked his own bakery for the whole thing, saying, “we can afford to open a little later! have your date here! it’s convenient!”

…and so that’s how this sunday morning was the day of jihoon’s first date with soonyoung.

_‘and i would gladly hit the road, get up and go if i knew  
that someday it would lead me back to you.’_

there it was, as if right on cue. seriously, what was his soulmate doing? was it soonyoung? whoever it was, that song…

“hey!” jihoon’s head perks up, turning around to see soonyoung taking out his earbuds and waving outside the store. seungcheol wasn’t kidding when he closed the store for a good two hours, saying that was definitely enough time for jihoon and soonyoung’s date. he looked like a happy father when he said that. ugh, seriously.

he goes to open for the door, and soonyoung walks in, looking around the practically empty bakery. “woah…so this is what it looks like when it’s not up and running?”

“basically. nothing much.” jihoon goes back to the table he was sitting at, soonyoung sitting right across from him. “um…so the bakers heard about this whole thing, so some of them…”

“this is…so much food?” soonyoung gasps, looking at the pastries seokmin and jun had passionately made after seungcheol made the huge announcement about the store’s temporary closing. “can we even have cake this early in the morning?”

“jun said carrot cake is a good breakfast.” jihoon says sheepishly, finding all the food laid out to be kind of embarrassing now. “uh, we don’t have to — ”

“no, no, it’s fine! this is nice of them!” soonyoung gives him a thumbs up, and he picks up a fork from the side, digging into the banana bread in front of him. “tell them thank you. because of them, i’m with a bunch of sweet things right now, you especially.”

jihoon almost chokes on the coffee he was drinking, eyes widening at soonyoung’s words. soonyoung quickly takes a bite of the bread, looking at jihoon with the most flushed face possible, but he doesn’t seem bent on retracting his words.

“thank you for agreeing, too.” soonyoung’s voice is something jihoon can’t argue with; it sounds genuine, and jihoon’s heart skips a bit. what was that? “i didn’t know what would happen, but i’m _really_ happy that you did! i really am! seriously! i won’t let you regret this. i want to know you better, lee jihoon.”

“i guess i could say the same for you.”

“you don’t look like a morning person.” when jihoon hears this, he almost chokes on his coffee _again_. what’s this ability that soonyoung has to startle him out of his usual cold expression?

“i’m not. i’m really not. honestly, i don’t know why i keep being put in morning shifts on the weekends.” jihoon shakes his head. alright. no coffee for now. he wasn’t about to make a fool of himself on this first date. (he wants it to go well?)

“hmm…well, even though you aren’t a morning person, i’m glad you work them.” soonyoung pauses, cheeks seeming to blush a bit. jihoon finds himself catching his breath a bit, waiting to see what the cause of _that_ was — why does he want to know? “when i come in the morning…i like seeing you, jihoon.”

“a — ah…thank you?”

‘thank you?’ really? now they were both a bit flustered, and the silence is deafening. soonyoung takes a sip of the tea next to him, eyeing anything _but_ the person he was on a date with. jihoon doesn’t blame him. he can’t explain the sudden fast pace of his heart, either. weird. but he kind of liked it?

“so you only work behind the counter?” soonyoung asks, pointing to jihoon’s usual station. was he trying to distract him? was he trying to divert jihoon’s attention from the obvious embarrassment soonyoung was suffering from?

“yeah, i can’t bake for shit.” jihoon says, laughing a bit. he stirs his coffee even if there’s nothing in it. black coffee to match his soul. ugh, corny, but it doesn’t feel all that black with someone like soonyoung shining a light — at least, that’s what it felt like. it was practically blinding looking at him, but in the good way.

it was…warm?

“really?” soonyoung laughs along, somehow making jihoon feel warmer than he was before. it had a nice to sound to it. “i didn’t expect that, but that makes sense. how’d you start working here, anyway?”

“the owner’s a friend of mine. after i graduated college, he offered me a job so i’m not fumbling around.” though jihoon gives seungcheol his usual grumpiness, he really does think of him as a friend. he’s grateful for him. “he knows i can’t bake, so he puts me behind the counter.”

“oh? what college did you go to, if you don’t mind me asking?”

jihoon plays with the wrapper of a muffin he was having when he clears his throat, wriggling a bit in his chair. “i went to seoul university…”

“woah, you went to seoul university?” soonyoung looks excited. “i did, too! i was actually ahead by one year, so i graduated early.”

“seriously?” he wouldn’t have expected that from soonyoung. “what do you…?”

“i studied literature. i teach literature at the high school nearby. well, this past year was my first year there!” a teacher. a _teacher_. just his luck.

“you’re a teacher? your students are lucky to have someone young like you.” jihoon says this rather simply but genuinely — he didn’t expect his words practically light a fire in soonyoung’s eyes.

“you think so? ah, since i’m young, i’m trying to make literature more fun for them!” soonyoung says, chewing the banana bread quickly so that he can say this. “it’s really interesting, you know? there’s a lot of stories, a lot of premises! there’s so much to unravel.”

“mm, i see.” jihoon nods, and though literature wasn’t his best subject in school, it was pretty endearing to watch soonyoung excited over it. soonyoung proceeds to ramble about the latest book he was teaching, going off on tangents in the most adorable way possible. the boy made wild gestures, almost breaking a plate in the process, but his fumbling around and general enthusiasm made him…it made soonyoung kind of _cute_. he looks cute, now that jihoon thought about it. soonyoung’s nice, too, and though he’s energetic, jihoon didn’t mind him being around. he was energetic in that jihoon found it enthralling. soonyoung seemed simple-minded, but he had passion. jihoon liked that.

it was those thoughts of endearment that made him forget to ask if soonyoung had been listening to ‘sunday morning’ every sunday, though when their date finishes and soonyoung’s out the door, it takes only a minute before the song becomes stuck in his head once again.

though was soonyoung listening to it, or was jihoon really just thinking about the song?

he didn’t think the date was bad; in fact, it was pretty good. he enjoyed soonyoung’s company. he found that being with him felt like everything right in this world. maybe he could come to get used to soonyoung.

* * *

_‘clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable,  
_ _you twist to fit the mold that i am in.’_

the song, without a fail, enters jihoon’s head this sunday morning, too, but it doesn’t hurt his head much. it’s probably because he’s sitting with soonyoung at his usual table, having a chat with him rather than working. seungcheol wasn’t here, but even if he was, he probably would have ushered jihoon towards the boy the minute he saw soonyoung walk in. chan was more than enthusiastic to run the counter while jihoon talked with soonyoung while he was around.

“it’s not like it’s busy at this time, anyway! all you do is stand around, complain, and bother me.” chan had explained while he basically pushed jihoon towards the table. “just go talk with him for a bit! god, hyung, don’t be so stiff!”

when chan practically seats jihoon in front of soonyoung, he quickly dashes away into the kitchen. great. he’s going to tell the bakers. it was mingyu and wonwoo today. they’d definitely tease him later, so he hopes that they don’t expect to leave the bakery alive.

“am i really the only customer coming around at this time?” soonyoung asks as he pockets his earbuds and phone. when jihoon nods, he scratches the back of his head. “ah, i see. well, i guess i have good timing, because i get to spend time with you now.”

“yeah, i guess i could say the same.” jihoon tries to suppress the smile threatening to spread on his lips, but only a little bit seeps through. his small smile is enough for soonyoung’s own to grow bigger, and he practically vibrates in his seat, happy that he gets to see it. a special surprise. only soonyoung could do something like this to jihoon in such a short span of time. they’d been talking for…a few weeks? their text messages are much like their conversations in real life, but with soonyoung using a lot more emojis and emoticons. (jihoon doesn’t mind it at all. it fits soonyoung. he likes it when soonyoung sends him a lot of hearts.)

jihoon liked talking to soonyoung. he could practically say anything, and soonyoung could practically say anything. an open space. there was something about soonyoung that just made jihoon trust him, something about him that made him feel comfortable, safe, warm. something about soonyoung made him seem like the place where jihoon belonged.

“anyway, jihoon, what did you study in college? i’m really curious.” soonyoung puts his face in his hand, and his cheeks get squished a little. cute. “you look like you’d be good at just about anything. like you’re smart.”

“i wouldn’t say that.” it makes jihoon a little shy, but he continues on. “anyway, i studied music.”

“music? woah, seriously, that’s _amazing_. i don’t know about you, but that just makes you seem like a _genius_.” soonyoung sighs, leaning closer. he looked like he was in a dream while staring at jihoon. jihoon was staring right back, right and soonyoung’s face that he finds cute, right at soonyoung that he finds cute…did he just think all of that?

“nah, i’m just a lover of music.” and that was true, _very_ true. instead of studying english he would play with instruments his english teacher had, and the rest was practically history. he was glued to melodies, harmonies, and all the things in-between. seungcheol knows that he can’t shut up about music. the whole bakery staff knows he does anything related to it in his past time, that he has more hobbies than he makes it seem. and now soonyoung knows this, too, that music practically breathes life into him in every waking second of his day.

“you know how to play instruments?” soonyoung leans in more and more, and jihoon doesn’t see himself pulling away. he stays in place. he lets him. sooner or later their faces will be centimeters apart, and he doesn’t think he’ll move then, either.

“piano, guitar, bass, drums, clarinet.”

“that’s hot — i mean…” soonyoung gasps, covering his mouth with his hands while jihoon practically dies in his seat. oh my god. did he just say that? he knows soonyoung drops compliments here and there, but this time…god, this time, jihoon felt like he was going to _explode_. why was that?

( _you’re fucking happy he called you hot, lee jihoon._ )

oh god. oh god, his brain was right. he _was_ happy. he was happy for every compliment soonyoung gave him. he was happy when soonyoung’s around. he was happy when soonyoung’s happy. he was happy because soonyoung this, soonyoung that.

damn, there’s no denying it. lee jihoon was _whipped_.

“who’s your favorite music artist?” there goes soonyoung with diverting attention again. jihoon doesn’t mind. he’d like to switch topics, too. it’s getting hot in here.

“that…ah, that’s easy. it’s bruno mars. i listen to him all the time.” when jihoon says this, soonyoung’s eyes widen, and he tilts his head in questioning.

“i’ve actually been listening to bruno mars a lot lately! a lot of his songs get stuck in my head, and they’re not bad! i like ‘uptown funk’!” soonyoung starts doing a little dance in his chair, and god, it was cute.

okay. maybe he’ll admit he has feelings. maybe. maybe he finds soonyoung adorable or whatever and he wants to cuddle him every single moment and pinch his cheeks and hold his hand and —

( _whipped._ ** _whipped._** )

lee jihoon had fallen in love. he loves kwon soonyoung.

somewhere in the depths of his heart, he hopes that soonyoung was the soulmate that kept listening to that damn song.

* * *

“hyung, this is a whole lot of _extra_.” chan points to the guitar bag on the counter as jihoon unzips it, showcasing his precious guitar. “you really brought _your guitar_?”

“soonyoung said he wanted to hear me play,” jihoon mumbles, hoping he’s quiet enough so that chan doesn’t press any more questions.

“soonyoung? _the_ soonyoung? the one you’re _totally_ in love with?” well that failed. jihoon gives chan’s shoulder a punch from across the counter, but chan is undeterred. “hyung, i can’t believe the day’s finally come! you’ve got yourself a boyfriend! i’m so proud of you!”

“yah, who’s older here?” jihoon’s face is burning up, like that jonas brothers song. boyfriend. soonyoung had asked him on a date all those weeks ago, but…they weren’t _dating_ dating. they were hanging out. getting to know each other.

did soonyoung like him then? does soonyoung still like him now? does soonyoung _like_ like him? jihoon doesn’t know the state of their relationship. he hasn’t told soonyoung that he likes him, either. they’re just…together, whenever they can.

but boyfriend sounds nice. soulmate sounds nice, too, even with that stupid song he hasn’t been able to ask soonyoung about yet.

_‘come and rest your bones with me.’_

there was _that song_ again, stuck in his head this sunday morning, too. it used to be a headache, but…not so much. not when he has soonyoung on his mind all the time. ugh, that was _too_ cheesy.

soonyoung walks through the door of the bakery, taking out his earbuds and waving. his eyes dart over to the guitar on the counter, and his eyes practically pop out of his skull when he sees it. he points excitedly, even jumping a little, and jihoon almost sinks to his knees. cute, that was _really_ cute.

jihoon whips his head to chan, who winks. “we’re _not_ boyfriends. now stop breathing for the next twenty-four hours and don’t bother me.”

chan shrugs, going into the kitchen to _gossip_ , probably. none of them are going to be able to hear when he chews them out later. 

“that’s _so cool_.” soonyoung sits down at his usual table, and jihoon carries his guitar over there, sitting right across from soonyoung. warm. his face is warm. he’s never done this before. he’s never sang _for_ a person.

“yeah. it’s the first instrument i learned.” jihoon gives his guitar a pat, smiling a bit. it’s an important part of him. (secretly, he’s glad he can share it with soonyoung.) “um…so…”

soonyoung sits attentively, leaning in to listen. he has a hat on that hides most of his hair — did he see a bit of gray? — and face, but he feels soonyoung’s eyes on him. he can feel his eyes watching as he strums a few chords, but for some reason, it isn’t suffocating. his gaze is encouraging. his eyes said that they were looking at jihoon only.

“ _you and i together, it just feels so right. you and i together, don’t ever let go of my hands._ ”

it was the first song he’d ever learned how to play all the way through, but now that he was thinking about it, the lyrics, the meaning behind it…was a little embarrassing. still, he keeps his composure, continuing to play despite how flustered he was getting, how fast his heart was beating, how it practically seemed like he was letting out his feelings.

when he finishes, soonyoung stays silent for a minute. did he like it? did he not like it? he hadn’t done that song in a while — god, he was a fool for not practicing the night before. he —

“that…you’re so _good_ , jihoon.” soonyoung claps slowly at first, gradually speeding up and just shaking his head in disbelief. “damn, you’re _amazing_. you’re amazing! your voice is so nice, too. it’s special. you’re special, lee jihoon.”

jihoon didn’t know what to say. he was speechless. _speechless_. this was rare. “uh…you’re…”

“right. i’m _right_.” soonyoung smiles, and when jihoon catches a glimpse of it, his heart melts. bright. blinding. charming. reassuring. he wants that smile to be his. “seriously, jihoon, listen to me. your absolutely _amazing_. i’m supposed to teach literature but god, i can’t think of the words right now! i’m blown away!”

“thank you,” jihoon finally says, a new smile growing by a centimeter or two. “i…never sang for just one person before.”

“i’m the first?” soonyoung blinks, and then he laughs happily. “it’s an honor!”

there’s a silence that settles in, jihoon staring at soonyoung, at his guitar, at soonyoung…both important to him. they both meant a lot to him. can he really feel this way?

“ah, jihoon. i have some news!” soonyoung folds his hands, eagerness in his voice. “the high school i work at…they’re actually looking for a music teacher. the old one got an offer somewhere else and he took it. when they said that, well…i thought of you.”

music…teacher? music _teacher_?

“and you just proved it! you’d be great!” soonyoung continues. “i think the students would really, _really_ like you!”

“soonyoung…that’s…”

“if you want, that is. again, i’m putting you on the spot, but…”

“soonyoung, that’s _exactly_ my dream job.” he can’t help himself from really smiling now. soonyoung’s mesmerized, but the excitement in jihoon overwhelms him. sunday mornings had turned from something dreadful to something wonderful thanks to soonyoung. “thank you. _thank you_. i’ll look into it."

* * *

_earlier this year, spring. sunday morning._

“thanks for covering this shift and coming in this early, jihoon.” seungcheol gives the shorter boy a pat on the shoulder. “get some coffee before you start. you look tired.”

“i didn’t sleep ’til four,” he mumbles, but he takes the apron groggily. “whatever. money, right?”

soonyoung had visited this bakery every once in a while since it opened, as it was near where he lived. he found himself waking up early this sunday morning, and in his spontaneous walk, he decided to stop by.

he walks in just as jihoon gets behind the counter. he hadn’t seen this guy before. a new hire?

he looks at the shorter boy, and —

oh my god.

the boy looked absolutely _ethereal_. his eyes looked like they were glaring, but it was overshadowed by how cute he was, lips pressed together in the most adorable way possible as he adjusts his apron. the way he carried himself was manly but cute, and soonyoung found his heart practically beating out of his chest, and that he’d gotten the wind knocked out of him. was it obvious? did he make it obvious that he found this boy fucking attractive as hell? that he took soonyoung’s breath away — _literally_?

god. he was just…perfect. he looked like an angel.

“…sir? do you want anything?”

his voice — ugh. it was deep and husky but with a light step to it, like walking on clouds. a warm blanket. it was everything good in this world. this boy was everything good in this world. what did his name tag say? lee jihoon?

soonyoung snaps back to reality, and he stumbles on his words. “uh, croissant and tea.”

…stupid. he meant juice and not tea, but the cute boy’s already punching it into the register, and he was too distracted by how whipped he was for someone he’d just seen that he lets him ring up the order and take the number that’ll show the person serving him where he was.

soonyoung goes to sit down at a table right across the counter, and his eyes are practically glued to jihoon as the employee starts to rearrange the pastries in the display case, shaking his head and telling his co-worker to come help him. ah, his pout was so cute. the way he worked was so cute. the way he walked and the way he talked and the way he ran his fingers through his hair and the way he hummed while working and — 

“he’s single, you know.”

the voice startles soonyoung, and the owner he’s met before, choi seungcheol, puts soonyoung’s order in front of him. seungcheol had seen him staring at his employee, wasn’t him? oh boy.

“i — ”

“he’s a good buddy of mine. if you asked him out, i bet he wouldn’t say no.” seungcheol says, giving soonyoung a fatherly wink. “shoot your shot. he could use a guy like you.”

he walks away, leaving soonyoung with his mouth wide open. he quickly blows the tea so that it cools down and takes a sip. not bad, but maybe it was because the smile on jihoon’s face when he finished his worked made it all the more better.

soonyoung puts in his earbuds, opening up his music app. music would be good right now.

he presses shuffle, and up comes a rather fitting song.

_‘driving slow on sunday morning, and i never want to leave.’_

he comes back ever sunday morning after that, listening to the same song, never getting tired of it. maybe it’ll give him good luck one of these sunday mornings when he finally gets the guts to ask him out.

* * *

this sunday morning, jihoon opens the store with a confused look on his face, eyebrows scrunched together and lips in a pout. seconds, minutes, a whole hour passes. the bakery is empty even with the door wide open. something was off. something was _definitely_ off.

he didn’t hear ‘sunday morning’ at all.

“soonyoung hasn’t come by yet?” chan asks, and when jihoon shakes his head, he looks genuinely concerned. “that’s weird. i hope he’s okay.”

“yeah…” jihoon scratched the back of his head, and he could feel the creeping worry take a grasp of his heart.

“hyung…seungcheol isn’t here right now.” when jihoon turns to look at chan, he’s got a mischievous look on his face.

“chan.”

“hyung.”

“don’t tell me you’re thinking of what i’m thinking of. no, no, _no_ — ”

“aw, come on, hyung!” chan whines, stomping his foot in the process. what was he, five years old? “seungcheol wouldn’t mind if you went. it could be like…a house delivery or something! aren’t you worried about him?”

“well, _yeah_ , why wouldn’t i be?” jihoon huffs, and when chan continues to smile, he smacks his shoulder. “of course i would be! he’s my friend!”

“friend. uhuh. you’re _going_ to check up on soonyoung.” chan crosses his arms, slowly backing into the kitchen. “you will bring him his usual, and you will, under no circumstances, _come back with the croissant and tea_. in fact, i’ll understand if you don’t come back at all!”

“hurry up before i _change my mind_.” he can’t believe he’s actually _doing_ this. when did chan get so bold? that kid sure was something. he takes off his apron and whips out his phone, messaging soonyoung with nervous fingers.

_kwon soonyoung_

**jihoon**  
hey soonyoung.  
where are you?

 **kwon soonyoung  
** at home  
why?  
wait  
OH  
I’M SO SORRY DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME

**jihoon**  
too late. i’m making a house delivery.

**kwon soonyoung  
** i’ll leave the door unlocked then  
i’m at home sick :(  
but i’ll feel better if ur coming~

cute. anyway.

chan hands him soonyoung’s usual tea and croissant, and he heads out. ugh, the sun. it’s unbearable, but he’ll go through with it. soonyoung doesn’t live too far away, actually. it’s just a few minutes away. he’d gone by soonyoung’s apartment once or twice when soonyoung enthusiastically invited him over for dinner, but soonyoung doesn’t cook, either. he ordered chinese food for those times. he doesn’t mind. he thinks that soonyoung’s face when eating the absolute cutest.

…god, did lee jihoon mention how whipped he was today?

he gets to the apartment complex in a couple of minutes, and in front of soonyoung’s door in an even shorter time. he’d said he’d left the door unlocked, but jihoon knocks first before reaching to open it.

he opens it slowly, peeking his head into soonyoung’s apartment. there were books _everywhere_ , as well as a bunch of shinee posters and stuffed animals. he takes off his shoes, stepping in lightly and looking for where soonyoung could _possibly_ —

“over here. couch.”

“god, your voice sounds terrible.” jihoon goes over to the couch soonyoung was sprawled on, tissues all over the place and practically ten blankets on him. he looked _miserable_ , but not enough to completely wipe away any sense of beauty off his face. he was definitely sick, but he was still good-looking. did jihoon really think that just now?

jihoon sets the delivery on the table nearby, getting one of soonyoung’s pillow and fixing it. “prop your head up. it’ll help you breathe better.”

“jihoon…” soonyoung coughs, but he’s careful to face away from him. “i decided to go swimming at night. at _night_. when it’s freezing cold. that’s such a bad idea!”

“it was.” jihoon presses his hand on soonyoung’s forehead. a little sweaty, but it was mostly hot. “you have a fever. do you have any small towels around?”

“in one of the cabinets in the kitchen. forgot which one.”

jihoon goes and looks for it, and when he finds it, he folds it up, running it under cold water and wringing it out so it isn’t soaking wet. back at the couch, he moves some of soonyoung’s hair away before putting it on his forehead, patting it once just for security. “there. that should help a bit.”

soonyoung smiles as much as he could in his situation, and that eases jihoon’s heart a bit. “you’re nice after all.”

“was i not nice before?”

“no, you were nice before, but you’re _nice_ nice right now. cute.” soonyoung coughs again. jihoon tries not to lose it over being called ‘cute’. “so you came by because i wasn’t there this morning?”

“yeah…about that…” how does he explain it, exactly? about the song, about anything? of all times, _now_ he was thinking of asking about that ‘sunday morning’ song? “i didn’t have a song stuck in my head this morning. and, i mean, you didn’t come by at your usual time.”

“song? what song?”

“…‘sunday morning’. the one by maroon five.” god. god, this was _so embarrassing_. this was _not_ how he thought this question would go.

“that song?” soonyoung seems to perk up a bit, and he _laughs_. he laughs as much as he can, anyway, and for his situation, his smile outshines every darkness in it. “ah, i listen to that song every sunday morning when i go to the bakery! it’s good, isn’t it?”

he listens to the song.

every sunday morning.

that thing about soulmates…it was true? then that means —

“kwon soonyoung. i’m in love with you.”

okay. guess that happened.

jihoon hadn’t really prepared that. he hadn’t prepared in confessing _at all_. was he supposed to say his feelings out loud, anyway? what happened to pining for fifteen chapters? to his tsundere exterior? this kind of impulsive thing wasn’t like him; it was supposed to just stay in his head and his heart until he couldn’t take it anymore, but maybe this was the breaking point, confirmation that soulmates exist and that soonyoung’s is his and —

“so i’ve won lee jihoon over.” okay, now _this_ was the brightest smile he’s seen on soonyoung’s face ever since they’ve met. absolutely dazzling. the sun could _never_. jihoon doesn’t mind _this_ sunlight. “if i wasn’t so sick, i would totally kiss you right now, but i care about your health. i care about you.”

“or you could just say fuck it.”

“nope. but i will say that i’m in love you, too, lee jihoon.” soonyoung does reach out his hand to hold jihoon’s face in it, and jihoon immediately reacts, leaning into it. warm, but probably from the sickness. but still warm, just like he imagined it. he can’t wait to hold in — fuck, okay, his hand grabbed soonyoung’s other hand. he’s holding his hand. that’s warm, too. “seriously. i thought i was going into something unrequited…but here you are. you’re here!”

“yeah, i’m here.” jihoon smiles — genuinely, fully, damn it, _he’s happy_. he’ll show soonyoung that. “i’m…there, too. i’m there.”

“there?”

“the school. i applied, and…”

“you got the job?” soonyoung would probably be jumping if he wasn’t so damn sick right now. “ _you got the job_?”

“yeah. this upcoming school year, i’ll be the new music teacher.” jihoon puts his free hand in soonyoung’s hair, ruffling it up. soft. it was soft, just like him. “i’ll be working with my…boyfriend…?”

“boyfriend. absolutely.”

**Author's Note:**

> it's sunday morning somewhere isn't it
> 
> thanks to my friend for the idea of using the song sunday morning with this prompt.  
> i'm making the mistake of not editing this so if there's any mistakes i'm sorry vjndfv i'll look back through it eventually


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